Method of and device for packaging electronic components thus packaged

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method of packaging an electronic component such as semiconductor device, where by the component is positioned in a cavity of a foil by tweezers and is supported by means of a further foil which is attached to the foil at one side thereof. According to an example embodiment, the component is first placed into the cavity of the foil by the tweezers, and only after that is the further foil positioned adjacent thereto and attached to the foil. The tweezers are moved through the foil to pick up the component, hold it, and move it into the cavity. A feature of this embodiment is that the component may be temporarily supported by a supporting means after being positioned in the cavity and before being attached to the further foil, and the foil with the component is moved in a longitudinal direction (L) of the foil.

The invention relates to a method of packaging an electronic componentwhereby the component is positioned in a cavity of a foil by a pair oftweezers and is supported or retained by a further foil which isattached to the foil at one side thereof. The invention also relates toa packaged component thus obtained and to a device for implementing saidmethod.

A large number of components, especially semiconductor components, canbe packaged easily, quickly, and inexpensively with such a device.

Such a method is known from US patent published Jun. 11, 1996 under no.U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,765. It is disclosed therein how a component, inparticular a semiconductor component, is packaged in that it ispositioned in a cavity of a foil whose lower side is provided with afurther foil with an adhesive layer at the side of the cavity, to whichlayer the component adheres (temporarily). Reference is also made to theuse of a vacuum pipette and possibly an expeller needle for removing thecomponent from the packaging. Such a method is known from U.S. Pat. No.5,203,143 published Apr. 20, 1993. In this publication, the componentrather rests on or is supported by the further foil. Enclosing of thecomponent in the packaging is then achieved, if so desired, in thatanother foil is fastened to the foil at a side thereof opposed to thefurther foil. A device with which such a method can be implemented isknown, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,029 published Dec. 31,1996. A component is moved from an elastic membrane, on which a numberof components are present, to a foil by means of a vacuum pick up, whichfoil may be, for example, a foil as described in the patents citedabove.

It is a disadvantage of the known method (and device) that the packagingspeed is comparatively low, which limits the manufacturing output orraises the cost price.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a methodby which the component can be quickly packaged and which in addition isintrinsically simple and inexpensive.

According to the invention a method of the kind mentioned in the openingparagraph is characterized in that first the component is positioned inthe cavity in the foil by means of the tweezers, and only then is thefurther foil attached to the foil. This renders it possible to move thetweezers through the cavity in the foil during gripping of thecomponent. The invention is based on the recognition that varioussurprising advantages are provided thereby. The main advantage is thatthe components, for example in the form of a preferably two-dimensionalarray of components glued to an elastic carrier, can be present veryclose to the foil, while the tweezers are present at an opposite side ofthe foil and can grip the component through the foil. The path traveledby the tweezers is a minimum, which promotes the speed of the method,the more since the tweezers need perform only a single, linear,reciprocating movement. The invention is further based on therecognition that, once the component is in the cavity of the foil, itcan be ensured in a simple manner that the component remains in thecavity of the foil. This may be realized, for example, in that atemporary support for the component is provided next to or around thetweezers at the side of the foil where the force of gravity acts on thecomponent. It is alternatively possible for the component to betemporarily supported by the tweezers themselves, or at least to be keptin place thereby.

In a preferred embodiment of a method according to the invention, afterpositioning of the component in the cavity and before providing of thefurther foil, the foil with the component therein is displaced in alongitudinal direction of the foil, during which the component issupported by supporting means which are present close to the foil atthat side thereof to which the further foil will be attached. Thesupporting means comprise, for example, a roller belt. In additionthereto or instead thereof, supporting means in the form of a furcatemember may be advantageously used. The tweezers, or at least a portionthereof, may be passed through the furcate member. It is alternativelypossible for the furcate member to be arranged around the tweezers—orthe portion thereof—after the latter have been passed through the cavityin the direction of the component. As was noted above, a temporarysupport may alternatively be provided by the tweezers themselves.

In a particularly favorable embodiment of a method according to theinvention, the component is moved into the cavity from a position belowthat side of the foil to which the further foil will be attached. Thetweezers—or at least the major portion thereof—will be at the other sideof the foil in this case. After the tweezers have been removed, the foilmay be provided with another (covering) foil also at this side, if sodesired, so that the component is enclosed in the cavity of the foil. Ifthe further foil is provided with an adhesive layer, the retention ofthe component in the cavity of the foil can be realized with the use ofexclusively the further foil.

Preferably, the components are formed in a two-dimensional array on anelastic membrane and are moved therefrom to within the cavity in thefoil by means of an exclusively reciprocal movement of the tweezers. Thetweezers may comprise a single tubular member with an open end, which iscoupled to a vacuum arrangement. The component may then be sucked up bythe tweezers acting as a vacuum pipette and pulled loose from theelastic membrane, If so desired, a needle situated opposite the tubularmember may be used during this, by means of which the component ispushed off the membrane. The membrane may or may not be pierced locallyby the needle during this.

In a particularly favorable embodiment, the tweezers are formed by twoneedles which are positioned on either side of the foil, and thecomponent is moved to between said needles. The component may thus begripped and displaced carefully and without being contaminated.Preferably, one of the needles is given an obtuse end, whereas the otherneedle is given a sharp end. The latter needle is then preferablylocated behind the membrane on which the component or components is orare present, while the other needle is provided above the component. Aslittle damage as possible is inflicted on the component during packagingas a result of this. The needles may be moved towards the componentsynchronously or asynchronously. While the component is being displacedtowards the cavity, the two needles are obviously moved in synchronity.The two needles preferably move in a single, linear, reciprocalmovement, as was noted above.

Preferably, the component is enclosed in the cavity of the foil in thatyet another foil is provided on the foil at the other side, in additionto the further foil. This results in a particularly safe and cleanpackaging of the component. Both the further and the other foil, ifpresent, may be attached to the foil by gluing. All foils are preferablymade of paper. Alternatively, however, they may be made from a syntheticresin and may or may not comprise a laminate. The material of the foilsmay also be electrically conductive for the purpose of ESD (=ElectroStatic Discharge) protection.

In a favorable modification, the further foil and, if present, the otherfoil are fastened to the foil by means of a roller, during which theother foil, if present, is preferably fastened to the foil from adifferent lateral position of the foil than that from which the furtherfoil is provided. A method according to the invention may thus bereadily automated, and a device with which the method is implemented maybe compact and yet accessible and reliable.

The foil used is preferably strip-shaped and provided with an array ofcavities, each for one or several electronic components, and with anarray of sprocket holes for transport of the foil in its longitudinaldirection. A method according to the invention is particularly suitablefor packaging discrete or integrated semiconductor devices. One orseveral semiconductor devices may be packaged in each cavity. Theinvention also relates to an electronic component packaged by a methodaccording to the invention.

In addition, the invention also relates to a device for packaging anelectronic component, provided with a holder for the electroniccomponent, a foil holder for a foil provided with a cavity, a furtherfoil holder for providing a further foil against one side of the foil,which further foil supports or retains the component, and tweezers bywhich the electronic component can be taken from the holder and can beplaced in the cavity of the foil, wherein according to the invention thetweezers and the further foil holder are positioned and constructed suchthat first the component can be placed in the cavity in the foil by thetweezers, and only then can the further foil be fastened to the foil. Amethod according to the invention can be implemented in a simple mannerwith such a device.

Preferably, the device is provided with transport means for the foil andwith supporting means for supporting the component in the cavity of thefoil before the further foil is provided. In a major modification, thesupporting means comprise a roller belt and/or a furcate member which ispreferably displaceable parallel to the foil.

Preferably, the holder for the component comprises an elastic membraneon which an array of components is present, adhered thereto by a layerof glue.

Preferably, the tweezers comprise two needles which are present oneither side of the foil during operation. Preferably, one of the twoneedles has an obtuse end and the other one a sharp end, while theneedles are movable exclusively in a direction substantiallyperpendicular to the foil.

The invention will now be explained in more detail below with referenceto an embodiment and an accompanying drawing, in which

FIG. 1 diagrammatically and in perspective view shows a device accordingto the invention for implementing a method according to the invention inan implementation stage thereof, and

FIG. 2 diagrammatically and in perspective view shows a portion of thedevice of FIG. 1 denoted II therein.

The Figures are not drawn to true to scale, and some dimensions havebeen particularly exaggerated for the sake of clarity. Correspondingregions or components have been given the same reference numerals asmuch as possible.

FIG. 1 diagrammatically and in perspective view shows a device accordingto the invention for implementing a method according to the invention inan implementation stage thereof, and FIG. 2 shows a portion of thedevice denoted II in FIG. 1 in the same manner. The device 10 in thisexample comprises a holder 20 provided with an electronic component 1,here in the form of a ring with a membrane 7 thereon on which an arrayof components 1, i.e. discrete semiconductor elements 1 such as diodesor transistors 1, is present. Above this there is a foil holder (notindividually shown in the drawing) with—at least during operation—a foil4, strip-shaped in this case, which is provided with a cavity 3 forpackaging the semiconductor elements 1. At one side of the foil 4, thereis a further foil holder 15 for a further foil 5, here in the form of areel 15 around which said further foil 5 is wound. In this example,another foil holder 18, also in the form of a reel 18 around whichanother foil 8 is wound, is present, also at the other side of the foil4. The further foil 5 and the other foil 8 are conducted to the foil 4via further rollers 25, 28. After the semiconductor element 1 has beenintroduced into a cavity 3 of the foil 4, at least the further foil 5 isprovided on the foil 4, by gluing in this case, and the element 1 willrest at least temporarily on said further foil 5. In the presentexample, another foil 8 is additionally glued to the foil 4, so thateventually the element 1 will be enclosed in the foil 4. The device 10further comprises tweezers 2 by which the component 1 can be taken fromthe holder 20 and can be placed in the cavity 3 of the foil 4.

According to the invention, the tweezers 2 and the further foil holder15 are positioned and constructed such that first the component 1 can beplaced in the cavity in the foil 4 by the tweezers 2, and onlyafterwards can the further foil 5 be attached to the foil 4. Since thefurther foil 5 is not yet attached to the foil 4 at the moment thecomponent 1 is introduced into the recess 3, the tweezers can movefreely through the foil during this. This renders it possible toposition the component holder 20 close to the foil 4 and to carry outmerely a short, linear, reciprocal movement with the tweezers 2 forgripping the component 1. This makes the device 10 compact, fast, andreliable.

The device 10 further comprises supporting means 6 for supporting thecomponent 1 in the cavity 3 of the foil 4 before the further foil 5 isprovided. The supporting means 6 in this example comprise a roller belt6A which at the same time acts as transport means 6A for transportingthe foil 4 through the device 10 and which is for this purpose providedwith projections (not shown) which engage holes 9 provided in the foil 4for the purpose of said transport, outside the regions of the foil 4 inthis case where the latter is covered by the further foil 5 and theother foil 8.

In this example, the tweezers 2 comprise two needles 2A, 2B, solidneedles in this case, between whose free ends the component 1 is grippedand moved towards the foil 4. The needle 2A present above the component1 and at the side of the foil 4 where the other foil 8 will be providedhas an obtuse end, so that the pressure exerted on the component 1 issmall, and thus also the risk of damage. The tweezers 2 further comprisea solid needle 2B provided with a sharp end and located behind themembrane 7 of the component holder 20, whereby on the one hand thecomponent 1 is pressed from the membrane 7—whether or not in combinationwith piercing of the membrane 7—and whereby on the other hand thecomponent 1 is gripped in cooperation with the needle 2A and istransported to the cavity 3 in the foil 4. Gripping and displacing of acomponent 1 in this manner can thus take place in an easy, fast, andclean manner, i.e. without the component becoming polluted thereby.

The supporting means 6 in this example also comprise a furcate member 6Bwhich is preferably parallel to the foil 4, as in the present case. Themember 6B may surround the needle 2B and may support the component 1temporarily and protect it from dropping while said needle 2B is beingpulled away. FIG. 2 shows this more clearly, also on account of anenlarged scale of the drawing in this Figure. The Figure shows thesituation in which the component 1 held between the needles 2A, 2B is onits way from the membrane 7 to the cavity 3 in the foil 4. Thedimensions of various components of the device 10 are as follows: thefoil 4 is 8 mm wide and 0.6 mm thick. The dimensions of a cavity 3 areapproximately 1×1 mm², in which case the dimensions of a component 1will be, for example, slightly less than 1×1 mm². The diameter of theneedle 2B will have a gradient from a few mm to a few tenths of a mm.The needle 2A is approximately 1×1 mm². The width of the further foil 5and of the other foil 8 is 5 mm here, and all foils 4, 5, 8 are made ofpaper in this case.

The device 10 is operated as follows by a method according to theinvention. After an array 11 of components 1 has been brought into thedevice 10 close to the foil holder provided with a foil 4 havingcavities 3, a component 1 is moved from the component holder 20 towithin the cavity 3 of the foil 4 by the tweezers 2, see FIG. 2. Theneedle 2A, approaching from above, passes through the cavity 3 twice:once for going to the component 1 and a second time while inserting thecomponent 1 into the cavity 3. At that moment the supporting means 6B,i.e. the furcate member 6B, is capable of supporting the component 1after performing a translatory movement to below said component, so thatthe needle 2B can be detached from the component. The foil 4 may now bedisplaced by means of the roller belt 6A (see FIG. 1), during which thecomponent 1 may rest on the roller belt 6A. Immediately after the end ofthe roller belt 6A, the further foil 5 from the further foil holder 15is glued to the foil 4 by means of a roller 25 at one side of the foil4, here at the lower side thereof, which further foil 5 takes over thetask of supporting the component 1.

In a similar manner another foil 8 is adhered to the foil 4, at theother side of the foil 4, so that the component 1 is enclosed in thecavity 3 of the foil 4. The further foil 5 and the other foil 8 areglued to the foil 4 at different moments in this example, correspondingto their different locations in the device 10, which has variousadvantages, for example as regards space and accessibility. In theexample given, the other foil 8 is first provided, and after that thefurther foil 5. This may also take place in reverse order. FIG. 1 showshow a series of packages 12 is thus formed from the foil 4, eachcontaining one or several components 1 and capable of being wound onto areel (not shown) so as to be delivered to a customer.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described as manyvariations and modifications are possible to those skilled in the artwithin the scope of the invention, both as regards the method and asregards the device.

Thus the tweezers may comprise a single needle, for example in the formof a vacuum pipette. The component need not necessarily be situatedbelow the foil. A component turned upside down, in comparison with theFigure, may alternatively be above the foil, in which case the componentcan be taken from the holder and placed in the cavity of the foil bymeans of tweezers consisting of a single needle, as discussed in thisparagraph, or with two needles as in the embodiment.

1. A method of packaging an electronic component whereby the componentis positioned in a cavity of a foil by a pair of tweezers and issupported or retained by a further foil which is attached to the foil atone side thereof wherein first the component is positioned in the cavityin the foil by means of the tweezers, and only then is the further foilattached to the foil; wherein after positioning of the component in thecavity and before providing of the further foil, the foil with thecomponent therein is displaced in a longitudinal direction (L) of thefoil, during which the component is supported by supporting means whichare present close to the foil at that side thereof to which the furtherfoil will be attached; and wherein the supporting means comprise afurcate member.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein thecomponent is moved into the cavity from a position below that side ofthe foil to which the further foil will be attached.
 3. A method ofpackaging an electronic component whereby the component is positioned ina cavity of a foil by a pair of tweezers and is supported or retained bya further foil which is attached to the foil at one side thereof,characterized in that first the component is positioned in the cavity inthe foil by means of the tweezers, and only then is the further foilattached to the foil; and wherein the component is provided in the formof a two-dimensional array on an elastic membrane and is moved therefromto within the cavity in the foil by means of an exclusively reciprocalmovement of the tweezers.
 4. The method as recited in claim 1, whereinthe tweezers are formed by two needles which are positioned on eitherside of the foil, and the component is moved to between said needles. 5.The method as recited in claim 4, wherein one of the two needles has anobtuse end and the other one a sharp end.
 6. The method as recited inclaim 1, wherein another foil is provided at a side of the foil which issituated opposite the side to which the further foil is attached.
 7. Themethod as recited in claim 1, wherein the further foil and, if present,the other foil are fastened to the foil by means of a roller, duringwhich the other foil if present, is preferably fastened to the foil froma different lateral position of the foil than that from which thefurther foil is provided.
 8. The method as recited in claim 1, whereinthe foil is strip-shaped and provided with an array of cavities, eachdesigned for one or several electronic components, and with an array ofholes designed for transport of the foil in the longitudinal direction(L) thereof.
 9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein asemiconductor device, or a discrete semiconductor device, is chosen asthe electronic component.